Demolition Expert

393 AC - He places the charges one by one along the crevice. His movements are confident and precise, but that doesn't keep me from sweating bullets alongside him. His missing arm is an indelible reminder that even the tiniest error in judgment can result in catastrophe. I know Angus knows what he's doing. He analyzed the deposit extensively to decide where to place the explosives to reveal the vein without triggering a chain reaction. Even so, I still don't feel entirely at ease. I'm biting my lip, and my palms are sweaty. I'm better off thinking about the bath I'll run for myself back on board the Pantagruel, once the supertanker has filled up on ore.

But even here, far from Asgartha, I can feel how politics is getting tangled up in our affairs. The Guild's energy specialists are under pressure to collect as much Aerolith as possible. Something to show to the country, to try and convince the bigwigs and the general public that the Effort isn't just a huge waste of money. And it makes me sick that it's come to this. It needs to be profitable. It needs to make money. Pebble places a hand, somehow as light as a feather, on my shoulder. Ultimately, he's a lot like Aerolith: a vein of stone with no weight to it at all. Angus finally signals to me, and I let out a long breath. I delicately connect the detonator to the charges and start unrolling the wire…

ISAREE